Butter

I recently received some Ardenne butter to try from the lovely Steve @Kirkfood, after he saw that I enjoyed Lurpack Butter with the pretzels we made with Duncan and Thanh. What deliciousness!

If Lurpack is a step up from the homebrand butter I normally buy (don't judge me!), then Carlsbourg Buerre d'Ardenne is in a completely different league. It has been given the appellation of protected origin "Buerre d'Ardenne", which guarantees the use of Ardenne milk, and that it is made in the Ardenne region itself. (Website).

To sample this butter, I decided to make a loaf of no-knead bread. (Yes, I know I'm about a year behind on the bandwagon!) Not sure what else I can tell y'all about the bread that you won't have read on a million other blogs, but it's very easy to make, and the result is real, proper bread! Love it.
My loaf turned out quite flat and misshapen, so I figure for next time I'll make it in my 20cm Le Creuset, rather than the 28cm I used this time.

It's very crusty on the outside, and chewy inside, rather like ciabatta.

Now, the butter...


I spread the butter on quite a bit thicker than I normally would, with a cheeky sprinkle of fleur de sel, sent to me by my good friend Clarice in Paris. Wow! The Carlsbourg butter is very rich and creamy, with a distinctly milky taste. Delicious! For me, simply enjoying the taste of butter spread onto good bread is a very special treat.

Luxury butter + a big loaf of freshly baked bread = dangerously easy to eat. On a quiet Saturday night in, three quarters of this loaf became my dinner. Oops.

I can't wait to try the rest of the butter. According to Kirkfood's Steve it has "brilliant baking properties" - I'm thinking shortbread, pastry, croissants, gateau Breton... but will definitely have to spread out the baking over a few weekends. Stay tuned!